A/N: This chapter popped out of my brain rather suddenly and only took a short time to write down. Hope you enjoy and let me know any thoughts or criticism so far. Thanks! I read every comment and review and it means a lot. ^^

Chop…chop…chop…

The knife moved up and down on the cutting board like a pendulum. Her hands moved swiftly. Washing, peeling, chopping. A monotonous day like any other in which Kaoru moved through catatonically, with no life or excitement left in her. She spent the recent days since Kenshin left rethinking the past few months in her head. Where had she gone wrong? What were her faults? Why was she not good enough for him to stay?

'How worthless…all I did was talk about my own problems. I never knew much about Kenshin at all. How can I say I care about someone when all I was doing was being selfish and thinking only of myself and my wants? What were Kenshin's wants? How did he feel?'

Memories flooded her thoughts—happy, sad, funny… all memories of Kenshin were now tainted with the abrupt reality that he was gone and anything that might have been between them had ended. She pressed her fingers to her temple that was now throbbing with pain and put down the knife she was using to make dinner. 'I have to get out of the house for a bit…maybe I'll pick up some sake.' She sat the bowl of cut vegetables aside and moved to the other room, picking up a small pouch of money and slipping it inside the waist tie of her kimono.

Although the riverside path to the general store was beginning to darken, the outdoor lanterns had not yet been lit by the street police. Kaoru took in a deep breath of crisp air and hurried at a quicker pace to the store. She stopped suddenly when she heard a group of men a few yards ahead.

She hid next to a tree and squinted in the near darkness. She could make out three men surrounding a young teenaged girl, one rubbing a piece of her hair through his fingers."How about you come take a walk with us by the river…we've got a boat full of good food and wine. We can have you back by dawn, don't worry." He cooed in a low voice. The girl started to move away from them, but was grabbed tightly by the arm. She winced, just as Kaoru left her spot and came full force at the group. "Leave her alone or I'll use force!" she said, running towards the men. She realized she was completely unarmed, with only her fists to defend herself. 'It's a good thing I spent so many years training aikido with my father…' she mused to herself, pulling up the sleeves of her kimono and readying her attack.

The men, surprised by her sudden appearance, loosened their grip on the girl just enough for her wriggle free and escape, running at full speed into the woods. "Now look at that…you let our little friend get away. Who will we play with now?" The men began to smirk as one of them pulled a knife from his waistband.

Kenshin walked at a deliberately slow pace, not drawing the slightest attention to himself as he walked on the bustling cobblestone road through town. His destination was the large colonial style government building a few yards up. He thought of this new position he had been ever-so-forcefully coerced into taking and grit his teeth, only softening his expression when his thoughts drifted to Kaoru: the girl whose haunting reflection lingered in his mind—his exact opposite. Long, flowing violet hair that you only ever saw when she sleeped—she kept it pinned up at all other times. Her beautiful, feminine kimonos brought stark contrast to the rather tall, slightly muscled, tanned daughter of a martial artist who never knew the warm touch of her mother or a woman's grace. She was hardworking and honest. Her feelings were never kept hidden, and they emanated clearly from her words and expressions, just waiting for anyone who cared enough to see them.

He hoped she could find happiness with someone who wasn't stained so heavily with the blood of men…someone who didn't carry the weight of those constantly seeking revenge for fallen comrades that he had so effortlessly taken in the war. She didn't deserve to be put in the kind of danger that a life with him would surely bring.

Kenshin's thoughts stopped abruptly when he heard an uproar in the streets. A young servant boy came running through the crowd screaming. "They're dead! Keisatsu! Police! They've all been killed!" Just as he heard the piercing sound of police whistles, he quickened his pace to a run, his geta sandals clopping against the road as he made his way to the building. He went around back and entered through a servant door, greeted with silence. The back kitchen was empty and dark, as most of the kitchen staff had already gone home for the night. Only some of the top government officials remained, finishing up the days paperwork and holding last minute meetings, he presumed. He quickly made his way up a large set of stairs to the top floor.

Still, silence.

He approached one of the large meeting rooms and readied his sword, pushing it open with one swift movement.

Blood.

Red crimson flowed over papers and pens on the large center table of the room. Vacant, glossy eyes glowed bright in the moonlight coming in from the window. The men in the room had pained expressions on their faces. Some were still in their seats; their faces slouched against the table in front of them, suits stained with their own blood. Others lay in contorted positions on the ground, a pool of blood seeping into the flooring beneath them.

Kenshin eyes scanned the room for any sign of life. There was none, and he turned to make his way to the next room. At this point Kenshin had entered a different state of mind, that of a seasoned killer. His eyes held anger, yet full control. They glowed a brighter violet, the edges becoming tinged with a hint of gold. His footsteps were now silent. He was a predator stalking his prey. He moved to each room, some with open doors, to look for any survivors.

Suddenly, a figure moved in the distance down the long hallway of the top floor. He quickly sprinted to chase after it. It moved at a pace that matched his own, leaping out of a window and banking off a tree to the ground below. Kenshin fallowed suit and continued to pursue the assailant into the dark woods.